In my county, 5 Natl Forests converge, Feds own 60% of the productive timberland, valued at fair market value of 9,000 per acre (about 3X value of decent farmland)...for which they pay PILT of 50 cents an acre average. Got that Buzz? Their adjoining neighbors, (checkerboard sections from old railroad grants)private timberland owners pay 90 dollars an acre, about 160 X of what the Feds pay....AND, the private companies additionally pay a timber yield tax on every board foot they harvest. Rural counties are being ripped off period. By the way, my numbers are good and current, my son is a timberlands manager and deals with the market every day.
In addition, the USFS is a lousy neighbor...they don't manage, maintain or thin fuels in any significant quantity. Private companies to protect their long term investment, have to actually build wide firelines and fuel reduction zones to insulate themselves from USFS lack of fuels mangement.
As usual...government IS the problem, never the solution.
LOL.
Those pesky damn facts again!
